September 22, 2023
Seeing the Northern Lights has been a long-time dream of mine. A few years ago I decided that wanting to see them and trying to see them are two different things, and so I decided to try.
Trying is not that easy. I have several apps on my phone which offer forecasts, but the technical aspects of the forecasts are sometimes difficult to discern. Luckily, there are several online groups for "Aurora Hunters" in our area. These groups include some people who are very good at interpreting the data and always happy to share. Community is a good thing.
Keeping track of conditions is just the first step, however. Favorable forecasts don't often show up with much warning, so a willingness to be spontaneous is another part of the trying process. And of course, it needs to be quite dark outside for the lights to be visible: midnight would be the earliest during the summer months. This means there have been some late nights and some corresponding tired mornings. My husband is a good sport.
Next is putting ourselves out there. Literally. During favorable conditions, the best opportunity to see the lights in our part of the world is to get away from the light pollution of the Twin Cities. An hour or more north is the bare minimum. Then the trick is to find a safe area off the road, facing north to an open horizon (no woods). And then it's time to wait. And wait. And wait. Most of the time nothing is visible, so the waiting is the entire adventure before we turn around and drive home. Did I mention that my husband is a good sport?!
This week we were blessed with a glimpse. Not the spectacular dancing colors we're chasing, but a glimpse nonetheless. I'm not satisfied, and I'm not done chasing these lights, but I am in even deeper awe, and inspired anew by the connection to something greater, more majestic, and more peaceful than we humans, and the by mystery of it all.
My prayer for you this week is for a glimpse of something that fills you with awe. Something that feels mysterious and majestic; hopeful and holy. My prayer for you this week is that you'll put yourself out there a bit looking for this glimpse of the Holy, because it will be all the more sacred for the sacrifice. My prayer is that you'll find deep peace in your glimpse of the Holy. My prayer is for your glimpse of the Holy to be in wild technicolor.
September 15, 2023
This time of year at church is a flurry of jumping back into old routines and creating new things. New liturgies over our standard two services, Sunday Club and Sunday Conversations ramping up again, lots of plans for fun gatherings as a community, gatherings with the wider Episcopal church in the forms of our Fall EMMA meeting and the ECMN Convention, looking ahead to what this Advent and Christmas will look like. Believe it or not, we're already talking Christmas Pageant.🎄
It's wonderful, but after a slower-paced summer where we spent much of our time together in the sunshine and under the trees, it feels a little bit like I'm stepping onto a treadmill going just one level too high. I'm keeping up, but barely. Luckily for me, I'm not trying to keep up alone. A good portion of the flurry of activity is coming from your Vestry, and from Tony, Naomi, Kathy, RaeKell, and so many, doing so much.
I am so looking forward to all that is to come and I am doing my best to hold onto some of the lessons our Creator offers in the summer sunshine, some of the whispers of Spirit blowing through the trees. I am doing my best to take care of all there is to do at a pace that allows me to appreciate the gift of it all. Some days, some weeks, do fly by in a blink, but I'm trying.
My prayer for you this week is that your treadmill is moving at just the right pace for you, and that there is still time to notice the scenery around you. My prayer for you this week is for some of the Holy Wisdom offered to us so freely in the gifts of summer to find a permanent place in your heart.
Sept 8, 2023
As many of you are probably aware, well-known musician Jimmy Buffett died about a week ago. His music spanned decades, and spanned genres from calypso to pop to country to folk. He was well known for his lyrical storytelling and celebrating the "island life": sunshine, sailing, the sand and the water, family and friends. Though I can't claim the honor of being a "Parrothead", as Jimmy's most dedicated fans are known, I did see him in concert several times, and his XM radio station has been a long-time favorite preset in my car.
One of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs is called One Particular Harbor. It's a lovely song about finding peace in a busy world; finding a place you can truly feel your soul is at home. After last week's final outdoor service of the summer, Carrie Eagles sent me a photo of some of our younger Saint Annians enjoying time together, and as I looked at the sweet photo, a stanza from One Particular Harbor came to mind:
And there's that one particular harbor
Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shore each day
And all are safe within
It brings me deep joy to imagine Saint Anne's as that "one particular harbor" for our youngest Saint Annians; a place where their souls feel both safe and joyful. It is my deep hope that all who come to Saint Anne's feel that way about our space and about our community. My prayer for you this week is that Saint Anne's can be one particular harbor for you, too, no matter who you are.
Our air conditioning unit at my home has been out all summer. Now, before you feel too sorry for me, I need to confess that it is largely our own doing. When it went out in late June, we didn't exactly jump to fix it. First, our family all tolerates heat very well; I personally would rather be warm than cool any day. More significantly, my husband and I are also both pretty convinced that anything can become a DYI project with YouTube and a little time. So we waited.
Strangely, that thing called "time" never materialized, and before we knew it, the first true heat wave of the summer was on us. At that point, repair people were booked, and so we rode it out with fans. After the first heat wave subsided, we kept meaning to get to work on the air conditioner, but our home was comfortable, our weeks were busy, and before we could blink the next heat wave arrived... lather, rinse, repeat.
Finally, this week, with heat indexes above 100 degrees and the humidity sky high, my husband called the person we've worked with on occasion for heating and cooling issues we couldn't resolve. Knowing my husband's propensity for DYI, the repair person offered to walk him through a few possibilities over the phone.
First up: "I assume you've checked the circuit breaker."
The circuit breaker. Uhhh, no. We had checked the cooling unit itself, we'd checked various parts that are known to break most easily, we'd checked on some HVAC things, but it hadn't occurred to us to check the circuit breaker.
My husband went downstairs and with one small FLIP! our air conditioner whirled on again. It felt like a miracle. And completely ridiculous. We've been laughing about it for days.
My prayer for you this week is for miracles to be at your fingertips. My prayer is for solutions to problems to be more simple than you could have imagined. My prayer for you this week is for a sense of humor through it all. There are truly times I believe God laughs with us.
August 18, 2023
I recently attended a non-church meeting where the small group gathered had a difficult decision to make. Anxiety was a bit high as people pulled their chairs around the table. "Let's begin," the convener said, and I immediately bowed my head. Except, oops, it was a non-church meeting and a non-church group of people, and I was the only one at the table who heard, "Let's begin" and instinctively thought we would begin with prayer.
The meeting went well. I missed the prayer.
It is easier to describe what prayer is not. Prayer is not magic. Prayer is not a deal we make with God. Prayer is not a device we can use to manipulate our preferred outcome. What prayer can do, however, is change the heart and mind of the one praying. When we pray, we remind ourselves that we are not alone. We remind ourselves that we do not have control over most outcomes in life. We remind ourselves to focus on what matters, or to live into our best selves, or to find the strength we might need in that moment.
When we pray, we become more aware of the presence of Spirit and more connected to God, and to the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. We become connected to the needs of others and our role in serving those needs. When we pray, we become more.
Prayer is not magic, but it can change us.
The disciples said to Jesus, "Teach us to pray.” My prayer this week is that you find meaning in the learning, the practicing, and in the praying itself. My prayer this week is for your prayers this week.
August 11, 2023
We have been watching my oldest son's dog, Florence (nn Flory), for a few days while my son is out of town. She is a French Bulldog rescue, so not a large dog, and very sweet. She does, however, make her presence very known.
Flory's background is such that she is has some anxiety (a lot of anxiety) around being alone, and she has decided that while she's staying with us, I am going to be her person. So by making her presence known, not wanting to be alone, and choosing me as her person, I mean she wants to be RIGHT BY MY SIDE every minute of the day. And night. And she isn't afraid to howl to let me know when she's wanting more attention. There has been a lot of howling.
It is no small responsibility, to serve as someone's (or somedog's) security blanket. I can't begin to count how many times I've tripped in the kitchen because Flory is standing right behind me. My laptop can no longer rest on my lap, since Flory has claimed that territory. I feel guilty when I leave for church or to go meet someone. And when she needs to do her business early in the morning, guess who she chooses to wake up?
It's also a sweet honor, to be her chosen person this week, and I am doing my best to live up to it; to give her the care and reassurance she needs while her true parents are away. Flory reminds me of the power we each have to either cause others feel alone, or to help them feel loved. To feel ignored or seen. She reminds me that making time for compassion and care makes all the difference. She reminds me that waking up just before the sunrise means being awake for a miracle every morning.
My prayer for you this week is to encounter a situation that inspires use your power for good. To be given the opportunity to take care of the needs of others. To be able to make time for compassion. And to watch a sunrise or two and take in the miracles that are all around us.
August 4, 2023
Were your ears burning?
I have had the great honor and joy of officiating two weddings in the last two weeks. Both were weddings of old and dear friends, and both were out of town, full-weekend events, which meant I had lots of time to meet and chat with many new people. The number one question I was asked, aside from how I knew the wedding couples, was about you. "What is your church like?", people asked me over and over again.
And oh, I told them. I told them how engaged and involved this community is. I told them how we're always looking for more ways to spend more time together. I told them how more often than not, our Vestry meeting contains real, and ongoing laughter. I told them about how kids are welcomed into every aspect of community life, and how welcoming everyone is to newcomers. I told them about our beautiful grounds, including our lawn signs. I told them we do our very best to follow the Way of Love that Jesus taught and modeled, and that there is so much beauty in the trying and fumbling and trying again that sometimes I am overwhelmed with the gift of it all. I told them how proud I am to be in community with you. I told them we have the best potlucks.
My prayer for each of you this week, as we are celebrating the Feast of Saint Anne, is for you to know how valuable and important you are to this community. We don't all think alike about every issue, we don't all vote alike, we don't all see the world through the same lens... and yet the care, compassion, and love between is real. The joy in learning and growing and being together is real. My prayer for you this week is to marvel at the holiness of it all.
July 21, 2023
Everyone I speak with lately expresses the same sentiment: summer is moving by much too quickly. More so than usual, this year, it seems. It may be that summers in Minnesota are just so precious that we fill our calendars to the brim during the summer months. It may be that after three years of varying COVID caution, many of us are back up to full-speed schedules now, and realizing how busy that is! It may be a combination of both. In the end, of course, we have the same number of hours in a day or in a week during the summer as we do in the winter: it is only our perception of time that changes. But isn't it interesting to notice how very much perception feels like reality?
In Greek, the word for time is kairos. It doesn't mean the kind of time that is measured by a watch (or a phone) or a calendar. Kairos is God-time. It is a "to every thing there is a season" kind of time. It is a "all good things in all good time" kind of time. Kairos reminds me of a favorite quote from Thich Nhat Hanh:
To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water. The
miracle is to walk on the green earth in the
present moment, to appreciate the peace
and beauty that are available now.
It is all too easy to get wrapped up in schedules and planning and what-if-ing. It is all too easy to let days and weeks slip away in a blink. My prayer this week for all of us, myself included, is to take in the present moment as a miracle. We don't need to walk on water. Or fill our calendars to overflowing. We only need to breathe deeply and appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now. My prayer for us is to live in kairos time as much as we are able.
July 14, 2023
Your Vestry and I are gathering next week for a mid-Summer retreat. We will check in on the tangible goals we set at our first retreat of the year last winter, and on our "Dreams and Visions*", as we refer to the bigger picture wondering and planning and what-if-ing we do at every Vestry meeting. Planning this retreat with the wardens was joyful. As we tried to recap the last 6 months, we kept thinking of more and more things Saint Anne's has done, experienced, repaired, accomplished, and celebrated as a community in that time. We have:
signed a Letter of Intent with our solar company
set up plans to fill the cracks in our parking lot
installed new windows in the Narthex area
held a Spring Clean Up Day
with grief, we honored the lives of two dear Saint Annians who have gone on to greater glory
celebrated 1 confirmation (darn COVID keeping the other confirmand-to-be at home)
celebrated 5 baptisms
brought back Summer Stretch
brought back the Saint Anne's Campout
installed a bike rack
created Saint Anne's t-shirts
installed new wiring for sound in the sanctuary
became a Community Sponsor of WSP Pride
supported Garlough Elementary school's needs
held a clothing drive for From Me to We
held multiple food drives
held Snack Pack events for Open Door Pantry
donated money to local organizations
set a date for our 4th Annual Blood Drive
celebrated Luis's ordination to the diaconate
And in the midst of all of that, there were Sunday services and Tuesday morning Bible Studies and Lenten Wednesdays and Adult Ed. It has been a full, and largely joyful, 6 months. With more to come. As the Vestry prepares to gather next week to set new short term goals and continue our big picture dreaming, we'd love to hear from you. What are your Dreams and Visions for our community? You can email any ideas to me and they will be passed along.
My prayer for you is that you find nothing too big or too small or too wild or too simple or too out of reach to dream about. My prayer is for you to allow the vision of all we can be together as a community of Jesus-followers to fill your heart so full that you can't help but let it spill out in joy.
Blessings
July 7, 2023
Celebrating the great beauty and the fantastic breadth of humanity is one of the joys of life. Certainly one of the joys of being a person of faith is seeing a spark of the Divine in every person. One of the most joyful of our Baptismal promises in the Episcopal church is the promise to "seek and serve Christ in all people"...
What a gift it is, to be called to look for the beauty and good in others. And what better place to do that this Saturday than the West St. Paul Pride celebration?!
My prayer for you this week is for you to find joy in the great rainbow of humanity. To find a minute to celebrate the concept that our diversity is a reflection of the wideness of God. And to know that you are part of that rainbow, part of that wideness. Thanks be!
Come out on Saturday and look for some familiar faces at Saint Anne's table. I'll see you there!
June 30, 2023
I saw this graphic this week, and it made me smile. Immediately it made me think of the Peace & Justice meeting from last week, and all of the good this team of amazing people are doing quietly and behind the scenes. It then made me think of Saint Anne's Treasurer, Jeff Holland, and our Finance team, and all the good they do, quietly and behind the scenes. From there, I thought of our bread bakers (did you know know a team of people bake communion bread for each week's services?!) and Nancy, Karen, and the fantastic Altar Guild team.
It made me think of RaeKell and all she does for our kids, and then of our Jenny and Corinne, our Vestry liaisons for Children & Youth and the things they are planning behind the scenes. If we're talking about people who do things for children, Ramona has volunteered as our nursery helper for months and months, and speaking of behind the scenes, there's Carolyn, who has taken over behind the camera for our livestream services while Chris is away on paternity leave, and Andy who has wired us for sound with a professional touch. As I was in my office at church, thinking these happy thoughts about all of these amazing people, and feeling grateful, I looked out the window to see Dennis mowing the lawn, part of a team of volunteers that Jeff Hvass, who volunteers an incredible amount of time and energy himself, has gathered together for the summer. For yet more behind the scenes stuff...if you're reading this on Saint Anne's website, that's all thanks to Jon and the way he quietly and faithfully uploads these notes of mine each week.
There is danger in naming names, because there are so many who do so much. Our wardens and entire Vestry. Our Pastoral Care team. The Knitters. Barb, and the way she manages our birthday card ministry. Sandy, and her Funeral Care ministry. Patty and the Columbarium team. Doug and Denny, our Usher A Team. The Solar Committee. Our Bible Study group who gathers to break open Scripture together, and is so much more. Our Acolytes and Vergers and Readers. Those who send me kind emails and notes of support that always show up at just the right moment. There are those who are showing up for West St. Paul Pride next Saturday to share some love and joy with others, and those who come on Sunday mornings asking, "What can I do?", or just come with a smile and a warm greeting for everyone.
And of course, there is Tony and Naomi, who share their gifts so generously. And Kathy in the office, who keeps us all on track with... everything!
My prayer for you this week is that you know how important you are. That you know what a difference you make as you show up as Christ's hands and feet in the world. My prayer is that you know your God is so delighted with you, as you wander around, making the world a better place in all the ways you do.
June 23, 2023
I have been marveling at the light this week. It's been not-quite-dark even just before 10PM, and I can't stop contemplating how different life feels when we have five more hours of sunlight. Things feel easier, more simple, more doable. There's more time for an evening walk and an after-dinner errand doesn't feel like a dreaded chore. And when dusk does fall, the fireflies come out to play, and the frogs and crickets fill the air with song. I'm sure that by the time fall arrives, I just might be ready for a little more quiet and a little more rest. But not yet! First, I will enjoy the long days.
It's also time for my annual confession: I love the heat. I even love the humidity. On days like we've had lately, I am outside as much as possible, basking in the glory of the extremeness that our weather takes here in Minnesota. I know, I know. I usually keep this close to the vest. I know this weather is difficult for some people, and I don't like to think about anyone struggling or extremely uncomfortable. But I am quietly delighting in the burst of lush green and golden heat that is God's beautiful summer.
My prayer for you this week is to take in the particular blessings of each day, each season, and each place your find yourself in life. My prayer for you this week is to be able find some delight in all the sometimes-not-so-subtle ways the Divine is revealed to us. Even if you need to do it from an air conditioned room. :)
June 16, 2023
I've had the joy of spending time with some of our younger Saint Annians at a smaller version of Summer Stretch this week!
For those who may not know, Summer Stretch is a day camp for kids K-8th grade that Saint Anne's had offered for a number of years before taking a three year hiatus due to COVID concerns. This year we brought it back on a smaller scale. The camp is centered around a well-known passage from Micah, Chapter 6:8: "What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God." At Summer Stretch (the idea is to stretch our hearts and minds) we spend the week considering what that means, and practicing different ways to live it out. This week we visited a family shelter, an elder care center, picked up garbage at Minnehaha Falls, lived into the value of relaxing, and had some fun along the way!
One of my favorite parts of this week wasn't planned. While we were exploring the concept of Walk Humbly, we stretched yarn between our chairs: each person naming something they find sacred in the world (animals, places, elements, people), and holding onto the string before tossing it to someone else. This process created a "web" of string between us and gave us a visual of how we are all connected. When one part of the string was moved, the entire web would move.
From there, "the web" took on a life of it's own. When Carolyn Swiszcz shared a sun catcher craft that included the option to draw the animals or elements named in our web activity, we decided to incorporate the sun catchers into the web. Soon a few strings of fairy lights were added, and rather than being removed at the end of our lesson, "the web" became a place that for the rest of the week the kids crawled into to rest, to reflect on their days, and to share their thoughts and ideas. Through the web, connections between us became more than connections. The web gave us a sanctuary within a sanctuary.
Thank you to RaeKell Lambert, Ramona Webb, Carolyn Swiszcz, and the Saint Anne's parents and kids who made this week a very special one!
My prayer for each of you is to find the connections between us and see them as sacred. My prayer for you is to find joy in all of the ways we are called to show up in the world to do justice and love kindness, and to find sanctuary in walking humbly with our God.
June 9, 2023
On the first day of school last fall, those starting their senior year at my son Nolan's high school gathered in the school parking lot early in the morning for "Senior Sunrise": a tradition which consists of watching the sun come up together on the first day of their senior year. On the last day of school, this Class of 2023 gathered in the school parking lot for "Senior Sunset": allowing the tradition to come full circle as they watched, together, the sun set on their last day of school - and on their public school days.
The most beautiful thing about this tradition is that it is not a school-sponsored event. The kids plan it, spread the word, and show up for one another, because they know it matters. They understand at a core level, ritual offers us a container to hold some of the biggest emotional and spiritual experiences of our lives. Ritual guides us, reminds us of meaning, and connects us to community. It offers us a sense of belonging and common identity which transforms an individual feeling we might have into a communal one. Ritual can also offer us resilience in a difficult time.
The beauty of the Sunrise/Sunset tradition itself, as well as the grasp of ritual that these kids carry in their souls without needing to be taught, is enough to bring tears to my eyes. The sacredness of this small and simple ritual is stunning.
My prayer for you this week is that you are able to find sacredness in something simple and small, recognizing that even the smallest of things have the power to point us to the holiest of things. And to know in your core that the holy is all around us - from sunrise to sunset, and everything in between. Ours to make meaning of, wherever and whenever we can.
May 26, 2023
Over the last few weeks I've had the joy of connecting with those being baptized this summer, as well as their parents and in some cases Godparents, and to discuss our baptismal promises in depth. Our baptismal promises are challenging, rich, and life-affirming. The document created to facilitate Saint Annians' discussion of the Baptismal promises begins with this:
Baptism not something to accomplish, it is making a choice to join with others in patterning our lives after the example Jesus set before us, to the best of our ability. Since no one can do this alone, ultimately, baptism is about ongoing relationship with God and with fellow travelers on the Way. When a person is baptized they are welcomed into a community. In a baptismal service in the Episcopal church, not only does the one choosing baptism make particular promises, but parents, Godparents, and faith communities are asked: "Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support this person in his/her life in Christ?" To which all respond: "We will." When you choose baptism, you choose a family of people who promise to love, respect, and support you on your path.
My prayer for you this week is to know, again and again, just how much you (yes, you!) are loved, respected, and supported in your life. Just as you are. Today, tomorrow, and always. And my prayer for you is to know how very much your presence is valued and needed in this community, and in God's world. It is only together, and with God's help, that we can live into the beautiful and hopeful promises we'll make again this week. Thanks be!
May 19, 2023
Life is short, and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk the way with us, so be swift to love, and be haste to be kind... We end our services each week with these words, this paraphrase of Jesus' commandment to love one another. The words are stunning in their simplicity, their depth, their truth, and the way they always seem to find new meaning to dovetail with the joys and griefs of the week.
Those words were written by Swiss philosopher Henri-Frédéric Amiel, who was born in 1821. I recently came across a bit of writing that moved me as deeply as the Life is short directive and was surprised - but not surprised! - to learn it was also from Henri-Frédéric Amiel. I believe this new-to-me quote also dovetails with the joys and griefs of our lives. The wonder and mystery of our lives. The wonder and mystery that is God.
Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the plowshare of self-examination, but leave a little fallow corner in your heart ready for any seed the winds may bring, and reserve a nook of shadow for the passing bird; keep a place in your heart for the unexpected guests, an altar for the unknown God. Then if a bird sing among your branches, do not be too eager to tame it.
My prayer for you this week is to let mystery have its place in you. To leave in your heart an altar for the unknown God. And whether it is a song of joy or one of much-needed comfort, for birds to sing among your branches.
May 5, 2023
Our backyard neighbors had solar panels installed on their roof this week. As part of the installation, they had a large Black Walnut tree removed from their yard to allow the new panels as much direct sunlight as possible. I confess I never did like that tree.
The tree was old, and huge, and during windstorms its large branches would sway heavily. Occasionally a branch would break off and knock out electricity for our street. Some of the larger branches hung a bit too close to our roof for our liking. I had other reasons for giving that tree the side eye as well. I am deathly allergic to walnuts, and every fall it would drop hundreds and hundreds of walnuts into our back yard. Not only would I avoid going into the back yard during those times, but the size of the tree and number of walnuts dropped on the ground meant that, per doctor's orders, I could not grow vegetables for my own consumption in the yard because they would be tainted with walnut protein from the soil.
I was not heartbroken the day that tree came down.
And yet.
When looking out into my backyard now, I find myself noticing the place where the tree had reached into the sky with a bit of wistfulness. I suppose I'd grown accustomed to its big-branch creaking sounds, because it feels strangely quiet in my yard now. And I've seen squirrels running around the spot where it stood as if they're saying, "I swear, it was right here." I've wondered where they'll get their winter stash of food this year, without those hundreds and hundreds of walnuts.
I'm not sad that the tree is gone. But I appreciate what it was now, more than I did before, and I do wish I'd appreciated it a bit more when it was part of my landscape. Of course, my appreciation would not have made a difference for the tree, but it would have saved me some grouchy feelings toward a fellow inhabitant of God's Earth. The tree did nothing intentionally wrong, I realize, when it waved hello at me with heavy branches during windstorms and offered me gifts of walnuts.
My prayer for you this week is to find something to appreciate even in something you don't actually appreciate. The Book of Genesis tells us that God saw everything created as good. And the Psalmist reminds us to give thanks in all things. My prayer for you this week is to be able to look at the world around you with the eyes of God, and to give thanks even when (especially when?) thanks is not the first reaction. Changing our lens just might change our hearts. And if I can come to appreciate a walnut tree, just think what you can do with your God lens.
April 28, 2023
Sometimes the privilege of walking through this life with each of you as we celebrate joys together, manage sorrows together, share life stories, ask questions, wonder, and seek the Divine together... sometimes the privileges of this life together are enough to stop me in my tracks. It's all I can do to give thanks and hold back grateful tears. This was one of those weeks. There were joys and sorrows. There were some late nights and some early mornings, there were two funerals in my wider world, and another one today, and there are two weddings in the works. There was a beautiful Bible Study gathering. There were phone meetings and Zoom meetings and in-person meetings. There were a whole bunch of emails and, please forgive me, I imagine some I missed as well. There was paperwork and calendar-setting, there were frustrations and celebrations, and twice when I arrived at church there were deer in the outdoor chapel. It is all such a great privilege and sometimes my heart overflows with the wonder of it all.
My prayer for you this week is that some heart-overflowing-with-gratitude moments, big or small, find you. My prayer is for the wonder of the world, its joys and sorrows, to give you a peek into heart of the Divine.
April 21, 2023
Is it just me, or have the weeks since Easter felt a bit heavy in our world? We've experienced the death of our own Karen Campbell, and I know some of you have experienced other losses, and changes in circumstance, in your own lives as well. In my own life, my wonderful Aunt Lynn died a week ago, far too young, several months after a cancer diagnosis. In our national news, we've had some more shocking and deeply disturbing incidences around gun violence based on fear and intolerance. There are laws being pass with the intent to discriminate. At least for me, these weeks have been a heavy time.
And yet, I've been reflecting on the fact that this is what Easter is all about: regardless of any of the devastating circumstances we each experience in our lives at times, fear, pain, and death never have the last word. In fact, quite the contrary, thanks be to God.
As I drove home from church on Thursday, between rain showers, I marveled at all of the green suddenly popping up everywhere. Where just a few weeks ago we had snow (!) and then all of the mucky brown that had been hidden all winter, suddenly GREEN everywhere I looked, shimmering in the spring rain. I could not stop looking at, and marveling at, it. What a gift! What a gift, this life. Even when it's impossibly difficult at times.
My prayer for you this week is to let your eyes soak in all of the shimmering green. Even if, especially if, your heart has felt a bit heavy. Let the new buds on the trees and the brightening all around you remind you that stuck in the muck is never the end. Now the green blade rises - and love lives, thanks be to God.
April 14, 2023
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Thank you to all who helped make this a beautiful and meaningful Holy Week and Easter Sunday. It would be impossible to name everyone but please know all your efforts were seen and so appreciated. Special thanks this year to:
Kate and Jenny for organizing hospitality and all who brought food and set up and cleaned up
To all who participated in the Vigil skits and to all who read during services
To Nancy, Karen, and the Altar Guild support who did so much behind the scenes (including Janine, who ran out to Ace Hardware to save the day the evening of Easter Vigil - that was a story!)
To Tony, Naomi, and the choir who added so much to our services with their stunning musical offerings
Our vergers and acolytes
RaeKell and her crew who supported the Easter Bunny's visit to Saint Anne's
Kathy, who printed a gazillion bulletins
The Rev. Luis Ottley in his first Holy Week as a deacon
Bishop Marty and Spirit of Hope for their partnership
All of you who showed up in so many ways, body, mind, and/or spirit, to enter Holy Week, that most sacred time, together
And now we get to spend the Great 50 Days of Easter watching the snow melt and marveling at the way all things, even in what seemed to be the most impossible situations, can be made new. We get to spend the 50 Days of Easter wondering, seeking, doubting, seeing, growing, and celebrating together.
My prayer for you this week is that you see the risen Christ everywhere you look: in the greening of the earth, in a smile from a stranger, and in the beating of your own heart. My prayer for you this week is that, in some way, that one thing had seemed to you to be an impossible situation in your world can be made new.